Mr. Swanger knew it was inevitable that he would be in the service due to the Vietnam War going on at that time. He joined the Navy because his three brothers were active Navy men. In November, 1969, he left for boot camp and schooling where he would learn avionics and how to fix the computerized planes. Then, it was off to Vietnam where he served as a maintenance person for the airplanes. His responsibilities were to plug the planes into auxiliary power and to get the computers up and running. When planes returned he interviewed the pilots to determine if the plane needed any adjustments or fixes. Planes were launched and recovered about 12 times each day.
"Quitting wasn't an option. So you just made the best of it."
Awards: Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam campaign ribbons, and standard service medals
U. S. Navy
E5
USS Constellation
Vietnam War
11/20/1969 - 11/19/73
Mr. Swanger knew it was inevitable that he would be in the service due to the Vietnam War going on at that time. He joined the Navy because his three brothers were active Navy men. In November, 1969, he left for boot camp and schooling where he would learn avionics and how to fix the computerized planes. Then, it was off to Vietnam where he served as a maintenance person for the airplanes. His responsibilities were to plug the planes into auxiliary power and to get the computers up and running. When planes returned he interviewed the pilots to determine if the plane needed any adjustments or fixes. Planes were launched and recovered about 12 times each day.
"Quitting wasn't an option. So you just made the best of it."
Awards: Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam campaign ribbons, and standard service medals
Full transcript of Mr. Swanger's interview: